Is ocean acidification from rising carbon dioxide a grave threat?

Global warming’ is in the news almost daily these days, but rarely do we hear about its ‘evil twin’ or ‘the other carbon dioxide (CO2) problem’, viz. ocean acidification. Global warming, caused mainly by anthropogenic CO2 emissions, is apparently accompanied by ocean acidification, which is another major growing global problem with continued increase in atmospheric CO2 levels. While there is large uncertainty in the detection and attribution of climate warming because of the large natural variability in surface temperatures, ocean acidification is relatively a certain and straight forward consequence ofrising atmospheric CO2.

Is ocean acidification a serious threat to marine life? Why is so little attention paid to this other CO2 problem? What is the present level of understanding of this problem? Has ocean acidification already manifested at least in some parts of the global oceans? What are its likely consequences? Is life on this planet headed toward extinction because of ocean acidification? What can we do to prevent ocean acidification?